Lamar Jackson Help: Ravens Make Move on DeAndre Hopkins or Keenan Allen?

Lamar Jackson and his contract situation with the Baltimore Ravens is now starting to resemble a soap opera. Will they, won't they? No one knows.

But...

Could getting Lamar some serious offensive help sway his thought process over a new deal? After losing Marquise Brown in a trade at last year's draft, Jackson lost a significant threat that wasn't replaced.

It needs to be now.

Tight end Mark Andrews led the offense, catching 73 passes for 847 yards and five touchdowns as the gap between his output and others was huge. The next best for Baltimore was receiver Demarcus Robinson (48 receptions, 458 yards, two touchdowns) and Devin Duvernay (37 catches, 407 yards, and three touchdowns).

That is a significant drop-off after Andrews. Could adding an experienced head in the receiver room be the key to keeping Lamar in Baltimore?

Possibly.

Arizona Cardinals star DeAndre Hopkins and Los Angeles Chargers veteran Keenan Allen have their futures up in the air with their respective teams.

Both would be a fantastic piece of business if GM Eric DeCosta could get one of those deals over the line, with Hopkins needing to be part of a blockbuster trade and Allen possibly subject to being waived due to salary.

Other interesting options could include DJ Chark, Allen Lazard and Jakobi Meyers just to name a few. While not "splash" signings, adding a couple of free agents could be worth while.

Ultimately, it depends on what wriggle room the Ravens have in their salary cap to accommodate such talent. A star receiver would command significant money, but is it worth considering if it means keeping Jackson long-term?

Or is a "receiver by committee" the route to go down?

CBS Sports has projected the Ravens to have $25 million in cap space, which is more than enough to acquire top talent at the receiver position.

And...

To acquire multiple free agents.

With Baltimore currently holding the 22nd pick in the draft, could it be used as a sweetener for a potential deal for a star receiver? Possibly.

Alternatively, the Ravens could draft a receiver, but that requires time to see if the receiver will cope at NFL level. But with a proven commodity, Baltimore knows what it's getting.

It proves to be a fascinating watch over the next few months, and after all, the franchise tag could be used, but surely the organization wants to avoid that.

Adding firepower could be the one thing that gets Lamar to sign on that dotted line.

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